JAKARTA - When massive protests over George Floyd's death continued to shake the United States (US), President Donald Trump stated that he would immediately legitimize Antifa, one of the demonstrators' groups as a terrorist organization. Who are they the Antifa group?
Trump tweeted this statement via his personal Twitter account, Sunday, May 31. Trump's ideas were challenged. The US government is said to have no legal basis for labeling a domestic group as a terrorist, as the US government often labels a foreign group as a terrorist organization.
The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization.
- Donald J. Trump (RealDonaldTrump) May 31, 2020
Current government officials and former officials say the idea violates the constitution regarding the enforcement of the First Amendment (Amendment I) to the US Constitution, which is the basic ideology of freedom of opinion and assembly in Uncle Sam's country.
On that basis, US law only allows the designation of foreign groups as terrorist organizations, on the grounds that the protection of the First Amendment does not touch foreign groups. In addition, the Antifa group is also difficult to define.
What is clear is that many Antifa members support the oppressed. They often protest against the accumulation of wealth by companies and elites. Some used radical and militant tactics to get the message across.
Tump realized that too. In fact, he added, the Antifa group was formless and had no central leadership, although some local activists were very well organized. This makes it difficult for US law enforcement to deal with violence from members of a group who call themselves Antifa.
Trump's idea of legitimizing Antifa as a terrorist group emerged when he and Attorney General Bill Barr pointed to the left - referring to the Democratic Party - as the party responsible for the violence that led to the mass protests over Floyd's post-death nationwide.
Federal law enforcement officials claim to be aware of outside groups who are behind some of the property destruction and violence, taking refuge in the name of official protests in Minneapolis and other areas. Domestic extremist groups include anarchists, white supremacists and left-wing extremists, some of which have overlapping affiliations.
The announcement made by the Justice Department about using the Joint Terrorist Task Force to counter the demonstrations also identified Antifa as a left-wing organization. However, US law enforcement officials also said there were far-right groups involved in the rioting and attacks on police.
Trump and Barr's focus on left-leaning groups is also a stark contrast to repeated warnings in recent years from US law enforcement. They call the rise of white supremacist groups as the biggest challenge to domestic terrorism.
Christopher Wray, Director of the FBI has raised concerns about increasing white supremacist activity driving domestic terror threats. He even mentioned that some of the white supremacist group's terror activities exceed the activities of foreign terrorist groups.
The Trump administration has indeed frequently stated threats to designate various groups as terrorist organizations. Prior to this, the US State Department declared Russia's white supremacist group a foreign group and a terrorist organizer. This group is known to have the support of a handful of Americans.
What is Antifa?Antifa, short for anti-fascist, describes a large group of people whose political beliefs are leaning to the left. However, they are also incompatible with the Democratic Party. Scott Crow, a former Antifa organizer, says the "radical ideals" promoted by Antifa are starting to be adopted by liberals.
"They will never have seen (those ideals) before because they see us as as many enemies as the right," Crow said.
The origin of this group is unknown. However, Antifa can be traced to Nazi Germany and Anti-Fascist Action, a militant group founded in the 1980s in Britain.
Modern Antifa members have become more active in making themselves known at public demonstrations and in the progressive movement. Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, said that.
"What they are trying to do now is not only to stand out through violence at these important demonstrations, but also to reach out through small gatherings and through social networks to cultivate previously peaceful disenfranchised progressives," said Levin.
Crow, who has been involved with Antifa for nearly 30 years, said members used violence as a means of self-defense. They also believe property destruction is not the same as violence.
"There is a place for violence. Is that the world we want to live in? No. Is this the world we want to live in? No. Is this the world we want to create? No. But are we going back? Yes," Crow said.
Levin said Antifa activists felt the need to take part in the violence because "they believe that elites control the government and the media. So they need to make direct statements against people they consider racist."
The Antifa group is known for causing property damage during protests. In Berkeley, protesters dressed in black wearing masks threw Molotov cocktails and smashed windows at the center of the student union, where the Yiannopoulos event was to be held.
White nationalists and some others who call themselves 'alt-right' have criticized Antifa members who they usually call "alt-left". Many of the white nationalists from the Charlottesville demonstrations claimed that it was Anti-pagan groups that led the protests to turn violent.
Peter Cvjetanovic, a white nationalist who attended the protests in Virginia, said he believed the far left, including Antifa. "They are people who preach tolerance and love. Meanwhile, at the same time threaten people with different political ideologies," said Cvjetanovic.
"We went to our rallies and they harassed us and attacked us but held them back and we ignored them," added Cvjetanovic.
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